Northern Italy’s seductively beautiful Lakes District—in the shadow of the Alps—seems heaven-sent for communing with nature. Though just an hour north of Milan, this area feels a world away from the business and bustle of Italy’s second city.
In this romantic region, wistful 19th-century villas are overgrown with old vines, while stunted palm trees appear to be held against their will, this far north. And vistas are made-to-order for daydreamers and poets. In fact, it was early nature lovers (who wrote and painted here) who put this area on the tourist map in the 1800s.
